Keg-tapping device

ABSTRACT

A beer-tapping system in which the connection of separable keg and tapping units automatically opens normally closed beer and gas valves in the keg unit, the keg unit being installed from the exterior in the tapping hole of the keg and remaining a part of the keg; and the valves being displaced from their seated positions by hollow probes that depend from the bottom of the tapping unit. The gas valve is assembled with the body of the keg unit through a hole in the side of the body which is covered by the contiguous surface of the tapping hole.

United States Patent Primary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assista itExaminer-James M. Slattery Attorney-Ira Milton Jones ABSTRACT: Abeer-tapping system in which the connection of separable keg and tappingunits automatically opens normally closed beer and gas valves in the kegunit, the keg unit being installed from the exterior in the tapping holeof the keg and remaining a part of the keg; and the valves beingdisplaced from their seated positions by hollow probes that depend fromthe bottom of the tapping unit. The gas valve is assembled with the bodyof the keg unit through a hole in the side of the body which is coveredby the contiguous surface of the tapping hole.

KEG-TAPPING Device encircled by a ledge which is interrupted atdiametrically opposite sides of the neck to permit inwardly directedlugs on the body of the tap to be engaged under the ledge in theattachment of the tap to the keg. With the tap thus attached to the keg,it was necessary in the old Peerless system to drive a tap rod into thekeg. This of course necessitated dislodging the closure plug from thetappinghole, an operation which was noteasy and always subject to thedanger of having the tap rod blown from the keg before it could besecured.

The Perlick U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,202 can be referred to for a moredetailed description of the hazards involved in tapping a keg of beer inthe old Peerless manner.

However, despite the difficulties and danger inherent in the use of thePeerless tapping system, at least half the draft beer sold in the UnitedStates is still delivered in kegs designed for this system, and untilquite recently there has been no tapping device available for use onthese kegs-other than the conventional Peerless tap.

Among the few tapping systems recently developed for use with kegsequipped with Peerless-type tapping holes, thatof the Stevens U.S. Pat.No. 3,228,413'dated Jan. II, 1966, is perhaps the most popular, but'eventhe Stevens tap. has drawbacks which this invention overcomes. Forinstance, with this invention the keg unit, which, is that part of thecomplete tapping device that is attached to the keg, is easily assembledwith the keg from the outside thereof, not through the filling hole inthe side of the keg as in the Stevens system.

There are other advantages in the tapping system of this inventionwhichwill appear as the description proceeds.

With these observations and objects in mind, the manner in which theinvention achieves its purpose will be appreciated from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings. This disclosure is intendedmerely to exemplify the invention. The invention is not limited to theparticular structure disclosed, and changes can be made thereinwhich liewithin the scope of the appended claims without departing from theinvention.

The drawings illustrate one complete example of the physical embodimentof the invention constructed according to the best mode so far devisedfor the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical beer keg equipped withthe Peerless-type tapping hole, showing the keg unit of the tap of thisinvention fixed therein and the tapping unit detached therefrom but intapping position, part of the keg being broken away and in section;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional .view through both units of the tapshowing the same assembled;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the two units of the tap andenough of the keg to show its tappinghole;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the keg unit with the major partsthereof disassembled;

FIG. 5 is a detail sectional view through FIG. 2 on the plane of theline 5-5;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view through the body of the keg unit takenon the plane of the line 6-'-6 in FIG. 3; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the body of the keg unitand one of its valves in position for assembly with the 70 i body.

Referring to the drawings, a typical beer keg of the type 1 with whichthis invention is especially concerned, is illustrated inFIG. I. As iscustomary this keg has a filling opening 8 in its sidewall through whichthe keg is filled at the brewery andalso cleaned, and a tapping'hole 9in one'end wall 10. Since the keg is designed to be used with theconventional Peerless tapping system itstapping hole passes through aneck 11 which rises from'the bottom 12 of a depression in 'the end wall10. At its upper end the neck has a ledge 13 which is interrupted atdiametrically opposite sides of the neck to provide access ports 14 tothe underside of the ledge. Theneck also has a pair of diametricallyopposite longitudinal ribs 13 on its exterior to define abutments in.line with one side of each of the access ports.

The tapping device of this invention comprises a keg unit designatedgenerally by the numeral 15 and a tapping unit generally designated 16.The keg unit is designed to be secured in the tapping hole of the kegand remains in place on the keg until replacement is necessary for onereason or another. i g

Y The tapping unit is connectable with the keg unit, and'when the twounits are joined, as they; are in FIG. 2, the liquid contents of the keg(beer) may flow to a dispensing faucet, not shown, with which thetapping unit is connected, under gas pressure maintained in the keg froma suitable sour'ce thereof also connected with the tapping unit.

The keg unitIS comprises a cylindrical body 17 of a size to snuglythough freely fit in the cylindrical tapping hole 9. Near one end of thebody there is an integral encircling flange 18 which seats upon the topof the neck 11 when the keg unit is in place on the keg. The undersideof the flange 18 has an annular groove with an O-ring 19 therein toprovide a gastight seal between the body 17 and the top of theneck uponsecurement of the body to the; keg. v

Securement of the keg unit to the keg is effected by a collar 20 whichencircles the upper end portion of the body, is connected to the neck 11 on the keg and bears upon the top of the flange 18 of the body. Asbest shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the collar 20 has an externally threadedcylindrical sidewall 21, aflat annular end wall 22, and inwardlyprojecting diametrically opposite lugs 23 on the lower edge of itssidewall. The lugs are of a size to pass freely through the access ports14 so that with the collar properly assembled with the body of the kegunit, the body can be inserted into the-tapping hole in the keg andthelugs 23 engagedunder the ledge-13 by rotating the collar. To'enable,the collar and the body 17 to be assembled, the diameter of the flange18 is considerably smaller than that of the insideof the collar, andsmall enough'to allow the flange to pass'one of thelugs 23 while engagedbehind the other lug. However," the flange 18 is larger than the hole'inthe annular flat end wall of the collar so that with the collar attachedto the neck, the body is restrained against upward displacement.Coaxiality between the collar and the body is established by the snugreception of the upper end portion 24 of the body in' the hole in theend wall of the collar.

To facilitate rotating the collar as needed to bring its lugs 23 underthe ledge l3,'"the end wall of the collar has a pair of spanner wrenchreceiving holes 25. Rotation of the collar in the assembling directionis limited by the collision of the lugs 24 with the abutments providedby the ribs 13', and retrograde rotation is prevented by driving a rollpin 26 through a hole 27 in the endwall of the collar, the hole '27being so located with respect to thelugs 23 that the depending lower endof the roll pin is in position to collide with the side of the adjacentaccess port before the collar turns fa'r'enough' to bring itslugs inalignment with the access ports.

TheO-ring 19 is clamped between the'flange l8 and the top of theneck 11by tightening a pair of setscrews'28 which are threaded in the endwallof the collar and bear against the top of the flange18. The setscrewsare in line with the lugs 23 to assure that the clampingforces producedby means of the screws will be parallel with the axis of thebody 17; andwhen the setscrews are tightened, their heads lie below the'flat topsurface of the collar and'it in turn lies below the level of the topface of-the upper-body portion 24.

Inside the body"l7 of the keg unit there are two valved passages, onefor liquid and the other for gas. Both of these passages are formed bystraight parallel bores that extend lonprovides the gas passage, has asmall lower section and a larger upper section, both of which are smoothsurfaced. Since the upper end portion 24 of the body has a largerdiameter than that part thereof below the flange 18, the large diametersection of the bore 31 lies wholly within the circumference of the upperend of the body, but breaks through the side of the body below theflange 18 to form a rectangular window" or entry opening 32.

A sleeve 33 is press-fitted into the upper end of the bore 31 with itsupper end flush with the top face of the body 17 and its lower end flushwith the underside of the flange 18. This sleeve forms a seat for gasvalve 34 of the keg unit. The valve 34 consists of a shouldered pin withan O-ring fixed in its upper end, and a compression spring 35 confinedbetween the valve and the bottom of the large diameter upper section ofthe bore 31 yieldingly keeps the valve seated.

The lower large diameter section of the bore 30 has the liquid valve 36of the keg unit received therein. This valve also consists of a pin withan O-ring thereon to engage a valve seat 37 formed at the junction ofthe upper an lower sections ofthe bore 30, under the force of acompression spring 38. This spring is confined between the bottom of thevalve and a shoulder in a nipple 39 that is threaded into the lower endof the bore 30 and has a drawoff tube 40 attached thereto, the tubebeing long enough to reach to the bottom of the keg. Accordingly, uponunseating of the valve 36 gas pressure in the keg forces the liquidcontents of the keg through the tube and out of the bore 30 regardlessof the level of the liquid in the keg.

The tapping unit consists of a body 45 with a circular base 46 of adiameter substantially equal to that of the top of the collar by whichthe keg unit is secured to the keg. Long and short hollow probes 47 and48, respectively, project down from the base to enter the bores 30 and31' and unseat .the valve therein upon attachment of the tapping unit tothe keg unit. The long probe 47 is fixed in the bottom end portion of abore 49 which extends through the body to the top thereof andcommunicates with a lateral bore 50 which passes through an externallythreaded lateral projection 51 on the body to which a beer line or hoseleading from a dispensing faucet may be connected.

A'shutoff valve 52 mounted on the bore 49 and operated by a handle 53 onthe upper end of the body, controls communication between the bores 49and 50. This valve is closed during attachment of the tapping unit tothe keg unit.

The short probe 48 is secured in the bottom end portion of a bore 54which forms part of a gas passage 55 that opens through the side of thebody 45 with an internally threaded mouth 56. This mouth receives anipple 57 to which a hose that leads from a source of pressurized gasmay be attached. As is customary, the nipple contains a rubber checkvalve 58 which, in the operative condition of the tapping device, isclosed as long as the gas pressure in the keg is above a predeterminedlevel, but opens to admit pressurized gas whenever the pressure in thekeg drops below said level.

Excess pressure in the keg may be vented through a manually operablerelief valve 59 mounted in one wall ofthe gas passage 55. p

A wingnut 60 freely rotatably encircling the base46 and bearing upon itsupper peripheral edge portion, is screwed onto the collar 20 to clampthe tapping unit to the keg unit.

The underside of the circular base 46'is formed with a depression 61 ofa size to encompass the probes, and seated in this depression is aresilient gasket 62, the probes passing through and fitting closely inholes in the gasket. The thickness of the gasket is somewhat greaterthan the depth of the depression, so that when the tapping unit is seton the keg unit and secured thereto by screwing the wingnut onto thecollar 20, the gasket IS clamped between the two units and seals theconnection of the probes with the bores into which they project. I j

Although not necessary for leakage prevention if the keg unit iscorrectly installed on a keg, ithas been found desirable to apply a coatof anaerobic adhesive to the surface of the tapping hole before the kegunit is inserted. Not only does this precaution assure against anypossibility of leakage, but it also closes the tiny crevice that mayotherwise exist between the rounded inner edge of the tapping hole andthe contiguous portion of the cylindrical body of the keg unit.Anaerobic adhesives are now quite widely used for many purposes. Theyare single-component liquids which cure only in the absence of air. Onesuch adhesive is presently being marketed by the Loctite Corporation ofNewington, Conn.

A feature of the invention resides in the fact that the gas valve 34 andits spring 35 are assembled with the body of the keg unit through thewindow 32 as shown in FIG. 7; and that the outer surfaces of the coilsof the spring are closely contiguous to the wall of the tapping holewhen the keg unit is in place therein. This enables both valves to belocated in the body despite its relatively small diameter necessitatedby the size of the tapping hole and the insertion of the keg unit intothe tapping hole from the exterior of the keg.

From the foregoing description taken with the accompanying drawings, itwill be apparent to those skilled in this art that this inventionprovides the brewing industry with a sanitary, highly practicable andconvenient tapping system for use with kegs that have Peerless-typetapping holes.

lclaim:

l. A closure for the tapping hole of a beer keg of the Peerless type,comprising:

A. a cylindrical body of a size to snugly fit the tapping hole,

said body having inner and outer ends and a circumferential flangelarger in diameter than the body at the outer end of the body to limitinsertion thereof into the tapping hole;

B. a pair of side-by-side straight bores extending longitudinallythrough the body, one of said bores providing a passage for liquid andthe other for gas;

C. the bore which provides the gas passage having an inner smalldiameter section and an outer large diameter section, each opening toits respective end of the body, and the junction therebetween beingspaced inwardly of said flange; the large diameter section breakingthrough the side of g the cylindrical body inwardly of its flange toprovide a lateral entrance into the bore;

D. an inwardly facing valve seat in the large diameter section of saidbore, said valve seat being spaced outwardly from the junction of thetwo sections of the bore;

E. a spring-pressed check valve in the large diameter section of saidbore with its spring confined between the junction of the two sectionsof the bore andyieldingly holding the check valve on said valve seat,

i said check valve and its spring being of a size to pass through saidlateral entrance so as to enable assembly thereof with the body; and

F. an outwardly biased check valve in the bore which provides the liquidpassage.

2. The keg closure of claim 1 wherein said valve seat is a sleeveseparate from the body but secured inthe outer end portion of said largediameter boresection.

1. A closure for the tapping hole of a beer keg of the Peerless type,comprising: A. a cylindrical body of a size to snugly fit the tappinghole, said body having inner and outer ends and a circumferential flangelarger in diameter than the body at the outer end of the body to limitinsertion thereof into the tapping hole; B. a pair of side-by-sidestraight bores extending longitudinally through the body, one of saidbores providing a passage for liquid and the other for gas; C. the borewhich provides the gas passage having an inner small diameter sectionand an outer lArge diameter section, each opening to its respective endof the body, and the junction therebetween being spaced inwardly of saidflange; the large diameter section breaking through the side of thecylindrical body inwardly of its flange to provide a lateral entranceinto the bore; D. an inwardly facing valve seat in the large diametersection of said bore, said valve seat being spaced outwardly from thejunction of the two sections of the bore; E. a spring-pressed checkvalve in the large diameter section of said bore with its springconfined between the junction of the two sections of the bore andyieldingly holding the check valve on said valve seat, said check valveand its spring being of a size to pass through said lateral entrance soas to enable assembly thereof with the body; and F. an outwardly biasedcheck valve in the bore which provides the liquid passage.
 2. The kegclosure of claim 1 wherein said valve seat is a sleeve separate from thebody but secured in the outer end portion of said large diameter boresection.